


What We Are

by MrSerus



Series: Slaughterhouse & Co [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Depression, Gen, Hearing Voices, Immortality, Overpowered Oc, Philosophy, Timeline What Timeline, suicidal immortal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:28:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21787522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrSerus/pseuds/MrSerus
Summary: An immortal being pondering life, the universe, and everything."What makes life so valuable, is that everyone only has one life, finite in time. What is my worth then, if I spend mine as easily as you spend mere pennies? How is my value measured, when decades you would consider more precious than diamonds and gold, pass me by as if mere seconds? How should I measure your value, when countless others have stood before me, and have vanished in a blink?"~Michael Serus
Series: Slaughterhouse & Co [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1570132
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	What We Are

**Author's Note:**

> In all honesty, I just want to spread this character that's been in my head for about five to seven years. Maybe it'll help. In any case, if you bother to read this, tell me what you think. This is the first time I'm actually going to be publishing this guy instead of just writing semi connected paragraphs in random text documents. So I'm not going to be good, criticism is invited. Enough rambling, let's get to the interesting bit.

The Ship of Theseus Paradox: say you have a boat, and every so often you need to replace a part of it. You keep all the parts in storage as you do this. Eventually you replace every single part of the ship, and build a new ship with the parts you kept. Which ship is the original? This thought experiment is used to describe the nature of humans. Humans are chaotic, constantly changing. 

He isn't sure if he could be considered human at this point, or if he was ever human. There was never a reason to do any sort of test that would have discovered so before the first time, and by then Michael already knew he couldn't die. The first time wasn't that special; a drunk driver, a red light, and checking his phone at the wrong time. One wrecked car later, and he stood up from the street looking perfectly fine, besides the torn clothing. He later considered himself fortunate that the camera footage that caught the license plate was blurry enough it looked like the car had just missed him. 

The second time was far more memorable, and surrounded by witnesses. A child had gotten too close to the subway tracks and fell in. Michael jumped in after, just managing to toss the child back up to safety before the noise of metal against bone and flesh rang out even louder than the brakes. It was almost amusing how quickly the horrified silence of the spectators was drowned out by disembarking passengers, the announcements continuing and normal until security was mobilized. The subway was moved backwards, the area around already cordoned off as everyone involved believed they would be dealing with essentially a liquefied corpse. Again, Michael simply stood up. The aftermath of that incident quickly got him nearly global fame, possibly the only thing that kept him from being taken immediately to some shady governmental lab. 

It took a while, but he did notice he didn't appear to age anymore. It took longer for him to try to die. 

Eventually, in an attempt to make his life more than just attempts, Michael began studying. Technology, advanced and ancient. Archaeology, mythology, philosophy. Anything he could read, he read. Anything he could get his hands on to tinker with, he did. For a time, this worked.

Then Michael woke up, in an area full of wildlife. When he finally found 'civilization', he was quite surprised to find a rather archaic society.

Michael went through a number of loops before the true nature of his existence was fully known to him. He originally believed himself doomed to repeat the timeline from the start of humanity to the end, though this theory was disproved upon waking up in a world of creatures completely unknown to him. Infinite timelines, infinite Earths. as one world ended, so another began. Or perhaps they were all happening simultaneously, parallel to each other. And every new branching timeline brought new laws of nature. In one, technology brought humanity to the stars. In another, the stars were alive, and spoke through figureheads. In another, magic was what drove innovation.

It was the variety of these worlds that kept Michael moving onward. That kept him afloat. He learned how to bring pieces with him, to create a space between the timelines. Replacing piece after piece of himself with the worlds he lived. The relics of ancient powers, the technology of hyper advanced societies, the magics of lands shimmering in splendor.

He isn't sure he's human anymore. He isn't sure he was ever human. The voices don't know either, they weren't with him in the beginning. But he is Michael, and that's good enough for him. It has to be good enough, or he might just go mad. But it's nearing the end of this timeline, he's learned how to feel it creeping up on him. Maybe something will be fully worth his attention in the next timeline? Probably not, but it's good to hope when hope's all that he's got.


End file.
